About Jack Beverland Better Known As Mr. B.
Jack
Beverland, better know as "Mr. B." is a self-taught Southern folk artist who
finds peace of mind in his special kind of art. Born into a poor family in
1939, his mother moved him and his older brother to Florida after his father
died. Their existence was meager but the experience gave him a strong drive
for success. Starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder, his work ethic
and resultant long hours of labor placed him at the top of one of America's
large chain stores. In 1991 he was forced into retirement after 32 years of
loyal employment. Some people look at retirement with eagerness and
anticipation. Jack was not one of them. For him it was a shock, and a
devastation.
Feeling betrayed and helpless, his emotions turned to anger and rage; but,
with the help of his loving family and his own strong will, Mr. B conquered
his angry beast within through his art. He portrays in his works the simple
life - the life that most of us want to live - the days of our childhood -
the dreams we once had and most importantly, the way we would all like it to
be.
"I was somebody, and then I was nobody. No one understands the devastation
of becoming a nobody. At least in my own mind. I was somebody in my
corporate world. I was Mr. B . . . I was proud of myself and all of a sudden
I wasn't proud of myself anymore."
Mr.
B's brother suggested Jack start to paint. His experiments with painting
drew the anger and depression from him. At the encouragement of Stephanie
Moore, the former director of the VSA Arts Gallery in Washington, D.C., Mr.
B spoke at a VSA Arts event. entitled "Artists and Images, In Their Own
Words: Sunshine from Darkness," held at the National Museum for the History
of Medicine at the Bethesda Medical Center.
"At the time I went to Washington to speak, I was still pretty messed up . .
. I wasn't in good shape, I couldn't talk about it. I'd see a flower, and I
would just break down and bawl. Couldn't control it."
Mr. B's early pieces were philosophical and a lot of them were angry, many
of them focusing on corporate America. Mr. B began painting as a way of
expressing those feelings and has done so in a way that is unlike any of the
other artists out there. He has a distinct style. His paintings are of
simpler times, before the turn of the century (19th century). He uses fabric
paint on wood and most pieces often have “glow in the dark” paint somewhere
within the landscape. He is always somewhere within the painting. He may be
driving the horse and carriage or just in the background. If there are no
people in his paintings, look for a possum representing him.
While most other artists begin with a painting and then name it. Mr. B
begins with a name and then paints what that name means to him. It may mean
one thing to him today but another on a different day. However; he never
uses the same title twice.
Mr. B spends most of his time when he is not painting with children, helping
them to express themselves within the world of folk art.
Now there is a visible change in Mr. B's emotions, reflected in both the
subjects and flavor of his paintings. His current works focuses on bucolic
scenes of southern rural life, fantastic utopian animal scenes and biblical
scenes like Noah's Ark and the Garden of Eden.
Read More Biographical
Information About Mr. B.
Mrs.
B: Today Mr. B finds not only satisfaction in his art, he has been blessed
with a wife (Karen) who loves and cares deeply for him. You will see her at
Mr. B.'s side everyplace he goes. Her quit gentle style is much in contrast
to that of Mr. B. A good Christian woman Karen is a delight to all who know
her. You will often find Karen assisting with Mr. B's workshops. The kids
love her and the adults adore her.
Karen's own words:
Having a strong belief and faith has sustained us through
many hurdles that would have been greater without the similarities and our
common Christian beliefs.
I should say that our meeting even came about because of
those mutual traits having met on the the web site ChurchesOfChrist.com.
Those hurdles, I would say, for the most part, happened
because of our age at the time of marriage, as we were already set in our
own ways, and even our choice of words sometimes brings confusion into our
discussions. He calls it one thing and I another.
I must say that neither of us could have chosen better
mates for our golden years than we have.
Mr. B's art says it all in that it represents his heart
and soul, his goodness, and his longing for peace for everyone.
Go into Mr. B's world and forget your problems and
remember your dreams. He
sincerely wants you to join him.
Sincerely,
Karen Beverland, Mrs. B
Learn More About Mr. B. - CLICK HERE
